About Us

James Kenneth Bale, Founder

South Central Bank’s history dates back to 1889, the year Deposit Bank of Monroe County was first chartered. Our founder, James Kenneth Bale, purchased Deposit Bank of Monroe County in 1972. Deposit Bank’s 83 years of service to rural Kentucky provided Mr. Bale a strong basis to found South Central Bank and to fulfill his dream of providing true community centered banking services to the families, individuals and business people of the local area.

From the humble beginnings in 1972 as a bank with $10 million dollars in assets, South Central Bank evolved into a bank holding company comprised of five individually chartered banks across South Central and Western Kentucky. On January 1, 2015, South Central Bank became a single entity with 25 locations and total assets of $908,465,115.95 and approximately $400 million of secondary market loans originated and serviced in our local communities for total transactional assets approaching $1.3 billion. The plan to grow South Central Bank was simple: treat all customers honestly and fairly and the rewards of success will follow both.

The success of the South Central Bank organization can be attributed to Mr. Bale always paying attention to the needs of the local people in the communities he served and by investing in hard work with the dedication and strong commitment to succeed. These values are carried on today by the Bale Family and South Central Bank’s employees, and are at the very center of our business philosophy.

Today, Mr. Bale’s children Ruthie Bale, Ellen Bale, Billy Bale, Lester Bale and Tommy Bale, serve on the Board of South Central Bancshares. Each are committed to their father’s simple approach and emphasis on extraordinary service. Extra care is taken to instill our founding values in each employee, regardless of the position they hold in the bank.

Our symbol of a strong tree was chosen by Mr. Bale to represent strength and longevity through its roots as part of his vision of having a strong foundation within each community we serve.

South Central Bank is designed to make a difference in the prosperity of our customers and communities. We believe our slogan, “Small enough to know you, BIG enough to help!” is what Mr. Bale wanted as a legacy. To be able to serve any need of any size customer, while always remembering who we are, and who our customers are.. We help our customers through honest and fair treatment, large and small a like. It’s Mr. Bale’s simple philosophy, and our history proves it.

Mission Statement

South Central Bank will provide shareholders, customers, team members, and the community
with open, honest financial experiences that exceed expectations.

Values Statement

South Central Bank will always be the first choice provider for banking solutions that instill confidence among customers, team members, and the community.